


How Can I Help You?

by CurlyCue



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Anti-Monster World, F/M, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, M/M, Monster-Friendly Reader, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Papyrus and Spaghetti, Paranoid Sans, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader-Insert, Shop Owner Reader, Slow Burn, Strong Language, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, You/your pronouns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-10 00:54:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7823875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CurlyCue/pseuds/CurlyCue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You own one of the few monster-friendly shops in a very monster-unfriendly time.<br/>Monsters gradually become more used to you, but there's a certain skeleton monster who continues to be wary. </p><p>How can you help the monsters with their troubles, which don't seem to be getting better?<br/>How can you help Sans see that you're someone he can trust?</p><p>How can you help yourself when your friendliness with monsters is brought to attention in an unfriendly way?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Skeleton Monsters & Spaghetti

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure where I came up with this, but I'm guessing I probably got some inspiration from  
> [The Smell of Old Books](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5751250) by [thelittleglaceon](http://archiveofourown.org/users/thelittleglaceon/pseuds/thelittleglaceon) and  
> [Customer Service](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5732245) by [Beewritesstuff, previously known as Mimispace](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimispace/pseuds/Beewritesstuff)
> 
> Also the title kind of reminds me of [Would That Make You Happy?](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5053684), a fantastic fic by [OnaDacora](http://archiveofourown.org/users/OnaDacora/pseuds/OnaDacora). 
> 
> You should check all of those out, they're amazing. <3
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

The gentle sound of the bell above the door rang through the air for a moment, and you perked up from your place behind the counter. It hadn't been too busy today, so you were glad to hear someone come into the shop. Currently, you were a little busy dealing with a faulty shelf, or you would have come out of hiding to greet them personally, but for now you'd have to make do with calling a greeting over your shoulder. 

"Hello, and welcome to my shop! I'll be out in a moment to help you if you need anything," you called out with trademark customer service cheer. To your surprise, the voice that replied was very loud and said more than just "Hello, thank you"; in fact, they replied with just as much cheer as you'd initially welcomed them with, if not more. 

"Ah, hello, fellow person! Thank you very much; this is a wonderful shop you have here, and I am quite content to browse for however long you need!" 

You smiled, surprised and pleased, though you did wonder about their odd greeting. "Well, thank you, but I shouldn't be long, so don't worry!" And, just like that, the shelf popped back into place, and you had to grab the wall to catch your balance. "Alright, that's that. One moment please," you said, turning to face the counter and shop, only to pause in shock- not even for a moment, but long enough that the second person (who hadn't said anything, so you hadn't even known they were there) noticed and squinted at you. 

They were skeletons. _Well, technically, they're not skeletons,_ you corrected yourself, _they're skeleton monsters._

Right... monsters. 

Sure, you knew about the monsters; everyone did. They were kind of uncharted territory for everyone, though, so you didn't know much, just what you heard on the internet and by word of mouth after their initial appearance and introduction. It had been a crazy few weeks, but things were finally starting to settle down and be a little less chaotic. Unfortunately, that didn't mean things were all peachy keen for them; no, most of your fellow humans were very, very cautious of them, and a select few would even go as far as to attack the monsters. Many businesses and landlords wouldn't even allow monsters on the premises, which made you upset on their behalf, but you couldn't do much besides welcome them, defend them online, and empathize with them. 

So, despite your second of surprised hesitation, your smile returned in full force, genuine this time, much to your shorter customer's surprise. "Ah, hi, it's nice to meet you! My name's [Name], what're yours?" 

Unfortunately, the quiet one only seemed even more suspicious, but they replied all the same. "'M Sans, and this is my bro," they paused, allowing for the taller to introduce himself. Much to your relief, the louder skeleton seemed overjoyed by your friendliness, unlike his sibling. 

"I am the Great Papyrus! Do not worry, human; my brother simply insists we be careful about who we trust: it's nothing you've done," he explained, placing a hand on his hipbone and shooting Sans reprimanding glare. 

You nodded, inhaling and letting out a deep sigh. "Well, Papyrus, as much as it appalls me to say, he's not wrong in thinking that way. As wonderful as this world is, the people who live on it can be really cruel." 

You noticed Sans giving you a once-over, not even trying to be subtle about the way he was trying to read you. However, upon deciding he had every right to be wary, you didn't say anything about it, instead turning to his brother and smiling.

"Alright, Papyrus. What brings you to my humble shop?" You only half-joked, and he absolutely beamed. 

"Well," he began, "we really need to stock up on everything, but it's been hard because so few stores will let us in! You wouldn't happen to have any spaghetti, would you?" 

You didn't have any spaghetti, you knew, because you didn't sell food items. You would if you could, of course, but getting a license for it was too much of a hassle and cost money you didn't have. But with the look this guy was giving you, you couldn't just leave him hanging. 

"Well..." you started, clearly thinking something over. "I don't have any for sale, but... hang on, I'll be back in a moment." And with that, you rushed up the stairs to your apartment. After a fight with your keys, you inserted the correct one into the lock and turned the knob, immediately rushing to your small kitchen and initiating a short search for the requested supplies; after a moment, your search proved successful, and you rushed out of your home after grabbing a box of penne noodles (they were all you had) and spaghetti sauce. 

You'd only been gone for a minute, but you knew you shouldn't have left the shop unmanned. So when you heard the familiar sound of the bell above the door ringing, you had only one thought: _crap._

You burst into the store as casually as possible, and were rewarded with the sight of... no one. The shop was empty of customers; the only things of note were you and the pasta ingredients in your arms. 

With one last hope, you quickly walked to the front door, throwing it open and looking around for the skeleton brothers. That last hope was dashed upon seeing only humans and the odd monster every so often, none of whom were the people you were looking for. You would admit to yourself, after you had closed the door and slunk back to your spot behind the counter, that you were disappointed. You'd had a chance to help them, but you had scared them off with your eagerness. Why had you assumed they would want your help to begin with? 

Such were the thoughts that filled your mind behind the smile that you forced onto your face for the remainder of the day.


	2. Human Shop & Caution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1, told by the Narrator in Sans's point of view

Finding a store that would let in monsters was exhausting, both physically and emotionally. Sans couldn't even count the amount of times they'd had doors slammed in their faces with all ten of his bony, skeletal fingers. He wished things were easier, but at least they weren't stuck underground anymore. Then again, when monsters were dusted back underground, it was normally because of old age or a loss of hope, not because some _humans--_

_No, no, stop that,_ he told himself, feeling the growing agitation start to affect his magic, storing and building up power levels. _You're giving yourself flashbacks. Besides, it wasn't the kid's fault, really, whereas up here, these humans--_

Sans was broken from his upsetting train of thought when his brother cried out in excitement. "Look, brother! This shop doesn't have any anti-monster posters put up! Let's go, we must hurry! Maybe this time we can get spaghetti?"

Sans's eyebrow bones rose in surprise; not many stores allowed monsters, and those that had the audacity to do so usually received a lot of backlash for it. It would come as a shock to most if one of the few shops that chose to do the right thing at their own expense was such a small-town, local business, since they didn't have customers to spare like supermarkets did, and allowing monsters would surely lose them most, if not all of their human customers. Though, on the other hand, he supposed, it made sense, because smaller businesses were privately owned, and the owners could do as they pleased in regards to the monsters, whether that meant letting them in or ostracizing them. Maybe the owner of this one just hadn't put their posters up yet? He shrugged off his suspicions and forced his usual smile to his face. 

"Sure Paps, let's go."

Upon hearing his confirmation, Papyrus jumped in excitement and pushed the door open, crossing the threshold with characteristic enthusiasm. Sans's smile became a bit more genuine for a moment as he admired his brother's optimistic attitude: a rare trait nowadays just as much as when they were in the Underground. 

A soft tinkling noise was the first thing he registered as he stepped through the door, and a quick look around for the source showed him there was a little bell above the entryway. How cute. Sans looked away from the small instrument to take in his surroundings. Oddly, there was no one in sight, but his momentary confusion was cleared up as someone called out from behind the counter. "Hello, and welcome to my shop! I'll be out in a moment to help you if you need anything!" 

He nodded, satisfied in the knowledge that the store hadn't been left unattended and unlocked, and he chuckled quietly as Papyrus replied in his usual robust, cheerful tone. "Ah, hello, fellow person! Thank you very much; this is a wonderful shop you have here, and I am quite content to browse for as long as you need!" 

_That kid never did know how to use an inside voice,_ Sans thought fondly, _even as a babybones. But he_ was _always so positive. If it weren't for him..._

"Well, thank you, but I shouldn't be long, so don't worry!" 

_What are they doing back there, anyway?_ Sans wondered. 

Suddenly, there was a strange noise- a cross between a pop and a thud- and some shuffling before a human came into view. As soon as their eyes locked, he knew there was something weird about this. They paused, and he felt himself grow tense, his eyes narrowing at them as though daring them to try anything, but before more than a few seconds had passed, the smile was shaping their lips again. 

_What?_ Sans thought, slightly shocked. _Aren't they going to kick us out?_

"Ah, hi, it's nice to meet you! My name's [Name], what're yours?"

Apparently not; not only were they _not_ kicking two monsters out of their shop, but they were willingly interacting with them? This was far too suspicious; they had to have some sort of ulterior motive. Though, he had to admit, that smile kind of reminded him of Frisk... no, _it doesn't matter what they remind you of. You don't know them, and that means you have to play it cool and be careful._

"'M Sans, and this is my bro," he mumbled. Even if this [Name] person was suspicious, he couldn't afford to be rude. After all, he was a monster, and they were a human. He barely heard his brother introduce himself through the crashing storm in his mind. _Sans,_ he said to himself, _this isn't the Underground. If you need to escape, you can't just use your magic. Not in front of the humans; Asgore says it could endanger us even more. Is this really a situation you need to get out of? This human is being totally friendly and you can't afford to just avoid the only place that'll let you buy things from them. The only other resources you've got are Bratty and Catty's overpriced garbage, Grillby's, and Tori, and you can't keep being a burden to your friends.If you have a problem with this human, suck it up and deal with it._

Even through his contradicting trains of thought, Sans knew that the human had noticed his staring, and he almost expected to be reprimanded or asked what he was looking at. Again, he was surprised when they said nothing to acknowledge it, merely turning back to his brother and asking in an easy tone, "Alright, Papyrus. What brings you to my humble shop?" They seemed to be trying pretty hard to get along with them. Why? They were just a couple of monsters, right?

"Well," began Papyrus, and Sans's uneasiness grew. He _really_ didn't want this person interacting with his brother. "we really need to stock up on everything, but it's been hard because so few stores will let us in!" He sounded sad for a moment, and immediately, Sans felt even angrier about their entire situation. How was it fair that they were treated so poorly, and no one tried to help? He tuned back in as Papyrus's voice brightened and grew more hopeful. "You wouldn't happen to have any spaghetti, would you?" 

_Oh, gods._ Asking a stranger for food items, what a terrible idea. What if it was poisoned? They'd never know until it was too late. _But at least it's from a store, right? Not a garbage can._

[Name] hesitated. "Well..." They were thinking something over. Why would they need to think about this? "I don't have any for sale, but... hang on, I'll be back in a moment." With that, they turned on their heel and hurried off in the opposite direction, and soon after, they heard what was probably [Name] going up a flight of stairs. 

_Oh, hell no._ Sans thought, feeling his magic crackle in agitation. _Getting it from the store would be one thing, but taking it from the personal home of a stranger? **Hell to the fuck no.**_

He heard Papyrus's noise of surprise when he grabbed his arm, and his protests when he pulled him out the door and around the corner, but he ignored them skillfully, practiced in the art of ignoring imminent tantrums from the years of raising Papyrus and trying to nap with him around. 

Papyrus kept trying to pull the both of them back toward the store, but the look Sans gave him made him pause long enough for Sans's magic to safely envelop them and transport them home. Meanwhile, a few feet away, the front door of a shop burst open, catching the stares of passersby as a mildly frazzled human by the name of [Name] looked around in a futile attempt to spot two skeleton monsters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is super early, but most of the time I'm really late, so don't count on this happening often :') 
> 
> Thanks for reading, hopefully you're enjoying! ^^


	3. Policies Explained, Customers Gained

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You meet a couple more monsters and have a nice chat
> 
> Some important things are said

It was another quiet day at the shop. A few customers would come and go every so often, and you'd help them the best you could before they inevitably left, usually without buying anything. You sighed, resting your chin on your hand, elbow on the counter. _If everyone who came in bought something, my financial stability would actually be stable,_ you joked to yourself almost bitterly. The sound of the bell above the door broke you from your thoughts, and you looked up to see... a Moldsmal and a Woshua. 

You smiled and waved at them. "Hello, welcome to my shop. Can I help you with anything?" 

The Moldsmal didn't say anything, but it didn't really seem like it had a mouth to do so, so you shrugged that off and looked to Woshua. "We heard you accepted monsters. Is this true?"

Eyebrows raised, you replied, "Am I kicking you out?"

Woshua blinked and bubbled a little, then said rather sheepishly, "No?"

"No," you affirmed, "I am not kicking you out. You're welcome in my shop as long as you don't cause trouble, and if you break something, you pay for it. Those are the rules I've always had, and those are the rules I'm sticking to. They apply to humans as well, and as long as you can follow the two simple rules, I don't see a reason to keep you from being here."

Woshua nodded and smiled. "That's fair. Thank you."

You smiled, leaving your place behind the counter to lean down and offer your hand. "There's nothing to thank me for. I'm just doing what I think is right."

With that, the Woshua placed its little paw on top of your hand, and you shook on it. 

"I'm [Name]. And you are?"

"Joshua, Joshua the Woshua. My parents thought it was clever," it mumbled. 

You chuckled. "I think it's cute. It suits you, too! Nice to meet you, Joshua. What's your friend's name?" 

Joshua looked surprised for a moment, then glanced over at the Moldsmal currently picking over your selection of books. "Oh, them? I don't know their name; they were just sitting outside, trying to build up the courage to come in, so I offered to come in with them." 

You were caught a little off guard at that, but it didn't really show; you just nodded and grinned. "How sweet of you!" 

It blushed. "It was just the right thing to do. Besides, helping others is good for the soul and helps keep your karma squeaky clean!" It squealed toward the end, showing the characteristic Woshua enthusiasm for cleanliness. 

You laughed as you straightened up. "Still, very nice of you. Can I get you anything? A book, maybe a cute scarf, or... oh, hey, actually, I've got some colorful sponges, if you'd like some. You seem to like the idea of things being clean," you teased as its eyes lit up, then frowned as its expression turned downhearted. 

"Oh, I'd love some! But... I don't have any G on me... and most human stores don't accept G as payment anyway," Joshua lamented quietly. You hesitated, watching it check a satchel around its water dome before stopping it. 

"Wait, it's fine. You can have them, free of charge. Only two though, I do have a business to run," you joked lamely, smiling wider as its eyes widened in surprise. 

"Oh, but I couldn't! But then again, it's rude to turn your nose up at a gift... oh, alright, but I'll be paying you back later." Joshua promised, giving you a look. You winked. 

"It's no problem, you don't have to pay me back if you don't have the money. Though, gotta say, I'm surprised that people aren't accepting G as payment. Isn't that stuff, like, made of gold?" 

It made a shrugging motion. "I don't know what it's made of; all I know is that it's not acceptable payment." 

You sighed. "Well, I'll take it, even if no one else will. Maybe I'll be able to spend it at a monsters' bazaar or something. Ooh, or, what was that restaurant called--"

"Grillby's," suggested Joshua, and you snapped your fingers. 

"Yes, that's it! Maybe I'll spend it there." 

Joshua laughed, picking up two small sponges and placing them in its satchel. "I can't believe you're making plans for money you might not even have to use."

You shrugged, waving as it walked out the door. "Best to be prepared. Thanks for stopping by, have a nice day, Joshua!"

"You're welcome, you too!" It called back, proceeding to trudge along on its merry way back to wherever it needed to go. Your line of sight was broken as a pile of your merchandise was dumped on the counter, the Moldsmal from earlier wiggling impatiently. 

"Oh, alright, hold on," you murmured in a placating tone, calculating the total almost entirely on auto-pilot before realizing something rather important. "Oh, geez- I don't even know how to attempt to convert this into G."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like I'm early in updating again... huh. Interesting. 
> 
> ;D Hopefully you enjoyed!
> 
> lmao Joshua the Woshua  
> rip
> 
> i hope i didn't do a whoops (@ editing)  
> i'm super tired and i need to get up early  
> why do i do this to myself


	4. Back Home, What's Wrong?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus asks Sans what's wrong, and Sans brushes him off like always
> 
> Sans is having a rough time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao look who's back
> 
> hint hint it'S ME

As soon as the two brothers reappeared in their living room, Sans knew he was in for an interrogation. Obvious tension filled the silence between them, growing ever more apparent the longer the elephant in the room went unaddressed. 

"Sans," the familiar questioning tone in his little brother's voice sent a shiver down his spine, and for a brief moment, his current situation was overlaid with one from another time. One he hadn't technically lived through, and yet... 

_"Sans?"_

_He didn't answer, he couldn't, surely no sound would come if he bade it to._

_"Sans," Papyrus repeated, clearly confused and concerned. Sans watched in mounting dread as alarm spread across his brother's face, knowing perfectly well what was happening, but unable to stop it. It was a living memory; he could only watch, observe: not interfere or change things. In fact, he was about to say something, he knew, something along the lines of, "Paps, you gotta get outta here; the human is too dangerous, we gotta go," as he always did, when suddenly, out of the blue,_

he was snapped out of his neither-here-nor-there trance by Papyrus, once again, repeating his name. 

The breaking of script must've brought him back, he realized somewhere in the back of his mind. He would've felt grateful if it weren't for the imminent, unquestionably inescapable questioning. 

"Sans, are you alright? You look rather ill. Are you coming down with something? Should I call Alphys," worried his brother. Sans chuckled and looked up at him, lazily winking. 

"Nah, Paps. I'm fine, just a little tired."

He probably could have made a pun if he tried, but he didn't want to push his luck. Honestly, if he could just put off Papyrus's questions for a _little_ longer--

"Hmm," Papyrus hummed thoughtfully before continuing on at his usual volume. "Well, normally I would tell you that you sleep enough, but with the job-hunting, you have been sleeping less. Very well! I will scavenge food from the cupboards to make us a dinner almost as great as me, though not nearly as great as it would've been with more supplies," Sans froze, a bead of sweat beginning to make itself apparent on the side of his skull; he needn't have worried, for Papyrus paused only a fraction of a moment before continuing on with all the determination of someone about to climb a mountain. Or rather, escape from the darkness of one's depths. "And while I do so, you can sleep. But," Papyrus held up a single, gloved finger and wagged it emphatically. "don't make this a habit! It'll be better if you just take better care of yourself." Papyrus said, gently placing a hand on Sans's shoulder, leaving it there as their gazes met. 

It was strange, the way they could communicate without speaking. Lots of people who are close enough can do it, he'd learned, and not just with their souls. This appeared to be one of those times, because just then, he knew how worried his brother was for him, and vice versa. 

\--

The next morning, Sans woke with a shuddering breath, afraid to open his sockets for fear of seeing **that same damn ceiling** or maybe the orange-lit hall that'd grown too familiar for his tastes.

Slowly, he went through the motions of reminding himself that he was fine, Paps was fine, _everyone was fine._ They were on the _Surface!_ Sure, things weren't going too well, (he shuddered at the thought of checking their temporary bank account,) but it was still at least a little better, being able to see the sky, the _real stars_ twinkling far more than the Wishing Room's gems could ever hope to... _ahh, see. You're fine,_ he told himself as he allowed his eyes to open, the tiny white lights growing in size until they seemed normal. 

Upon sitting up, he realized there was a plate of something(?) edible by the door, and immediately, he felt tendrils of guilt and dread coiling inside him. Sans sighed. 

_Let's get this over with._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kinda short but w/e  
> does paps seem ooc? im not sure


	5. Thoughts, Schemes, and Not-Spaghetti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus is not dumb and is pretty worried, also sCHEMES

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't decide if I wanted to do a chapter based off Ch. 4 in Paps's POV or something for Reader, so I did the first one and settled for writing another one later

Papyrus let his smile falter, hearing the kitchen door close behind him, a small sheen of sweat-like substance collecting on the side of his skull as swift steps brought him closer to the cupboards. Why did Sans keep pretending he was fine? Clearly, he was not. Maybe Sans truly thought he was okay?

 _No,_ Papyrus thought, _obviously he realizes. Why is he lying to me? What's actually going on?_

His troubled thoughts weighed heavily on him as he carded through their beat-up kitchenette's meager supplies, brow creasing as he pulled out some canned potatoes and miscellaneous seasonings, the latter nearly used up. A sigh worked its way through his teeth, making a shrill but quiet whistling noise as he realized, yet again, just how low their supplies were getting. 

Orange-tinted magic brought life to the dull space, preparing the stove and dishes in a seamless, hands-free approach to cooking preparation while two red-gloved hands worked at tying a large apron around his waist and neck. A moment later, Papyrus turned to face the counter beside the oven, fully prepped and ready to make something edible. Skeletal hands clothed in rouge oven mitts (a crucial part of his old battle body which, unlike the rest, he simply couldn't part with- for safety reasons, of course) made quick work of opening the can and carefully dumping the potatoes into a pan; surely this would be alright. Papyrus would have rather made something better, like _pasta,_ but every time they managed to find a shop that welcomed monster patrons, Sans got suspiciously shifty and nervous. It was almost like he was waiting for someone to betray them! 

But of course, that was ridiculous, as they had to have something to betray first. No, Sans just... refused to put even a little faith in people anymore. Or, well, not people in general- just humans, Papyrus noticed. 

Paps was growing worried. If Sans kept this up, they were going to _starve._

And, with that in mind, Papyrus thought back to the human from earlier, the one who'd been kind enough to offer their _own_ food to them when so many others wouldn't even sell it to them when it was on sale. And Sans had deemed them too dangerous, for whatever reason! 

Papyrus nudged the sizzling potatoes with a wooden spoon, his expression pensive. _Maybe,_ he thought, beginning to have an idea, _if Sans keeps this up... maybe it'd be better if I went back to that shop on my own._

 

About twenty minutes later, a full plate was left in his sleeping brother's room, and Papyrus laid in his snazzy race-car bed, considering his options.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it was 1:27 in the morning when i started and now it's like 2:02 seriously why wtf this chapter is short af
> 
> w/e i'll just write another


	6. Supplies, Apologies, & Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao im just gonna bite the bullet and post this k
> 
> hope you're all having a wonderful time <3

Finally, the Moldsmal had left happy, having made a deal with you; you'd given up trying to convert the total price to G, instead asking how much the little monster had on them at the moment. A small bubble-like object, which you'd assumed was made of magic, (which apparently _was_ real, along with monsters; take that, parents!) floated up, carrying a little pouch. Upon opening it, you'd found that the little guy had about 68G, and you decided that 20 would be good for the pile of miscellaneous things. The gelatinous green monster released a burbling sound of surprise when they heard your price; apparently they'd been expecting something more expensive. Nonetheless, they agreed to your proposed payment; on their way out, you were surprised to see a little bubble floating over to your tip jar as the bell over the door rang and your customer left. 

The sound of a bubble popping and the sight of the tiny specks of glimmering magic now covering your counter and tips had you leaning over, trying to get a closer look. It was as you were sat there, in yet another odd position, nose nearly touching the tip jar in a futile attempt to see this magic _just a little better_ that the soft tinkling of a bell rang once more, the sound of the door opening alerting you to the presence of another customer. The speed at which you straightened up should've given you whiplash. 

"Hello again, human!" 

You were greeted first this time, much to your (albeit pleasant) surprise, by a familiar voice. 

"Papyrus?" You asked incredulously, continuing on with a gentle smile gracing your features, though you felt a pang in your chest at the memory of coming back to an empty shop; why did that give you a sense of abandonment, disappointment, even slight irritation? It's not like you'd known them for long- probably about fifteen minutes, tops. "Hi! How are you and your brother- uh... Sans, was it?- how are you two doing?" There was a subtle undertone of nervousness in the way you chattered out your question. You were speaking too much, too quickly, and you were being _far too friendly._ Were you _trying_ to scare him off again?

He seemed to note your frazzled nerves, because his tone grew softer and he seemed... apologetic?

"Yes, that's right. We are fine, thank you for asking... however, I have to say, I'm sorry about the other day," he began, and you inhaled sharply, curious, but not enjoying the way your heartbeat sped up at the approaching subject. "My brother, Sans... he's just very protective. We have to be cautious, you know? But he was definitely in the wrong, and so I came to apologize. I do hope you will forgive us, and that this won't affect your view on monsters." 

For a moment, all you could do was stare at him, gaping like an idiot; then something clicked, and, after blinking several times in quick succession, you shuffled around into a more comfortable position and murmured, "No- no, it's fine, of course it's fine-- ugh," You cleared your throat and smiled. "Of course I forgive you, and it doesn't affect my views at all. You both have every right to be cautious, and after thinking about it, I suppose my actions probably would have raised a few red flags. So really, I guess I should be the one apologizing, but I was genuinely offering help, for the record." An awkward chuckle left your lips, and the skeleton monster's brow bones raised in surprise. 

"What? No! You don't need to apologize; you've been nothing but friendly! And actually," Papyrus grew sheepish, "I was also wondering if your offer still stood. There are very few pro-monster establishments in this town, unfortunately..." 

You took pause for a moment, then stuttered out an acceptable answer. "Uh- yeah? I think I still have that pasta stuff you wanted. Do you still want that?"

He practically squealed, clapping his hands in excitement, and after nearly having a heart attack, you laughed. "I'll take that as a yes. Cool, I think I put it behind the counter, just in case... hang on." You said, bending over and shifting some goods and papers around before coming back up with an armful of pasta supplies. You could practically see the stars in his eyes as you handed them over, and you were taken aback when he asked how much it would be. 

"Hm? Oh, no. You don't need to pay me, Papyrus, it's fine." 

"What? But I insist! I cannot simply accept such kindness without repayment... oh! If you won't accept money, would you mind coming over for dinner? I make the best spaghetti; I'm sure it'll be more than enough to pay you back!" He exclaimed. 

You would have said no, but... he seemed so enthusiastic at the idea of it, and it wasn't like you had any plans. Unless you counted taking inventory as plans... which you didn't. With that thought in mind, you hesitantly smiled and replied. 

"You know what? I'd love that. What time are you thinking?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter isn't as crappy as it seemed when I was writing it ;-;

**Author's Note:**

> That went better than expected. ^^
> 
> Any and all nice and/or constructive feedback is appreciated. <3


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